Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan fails to leave a mark

Vikas Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 11

Like other Centrally-sponsored schemes which are being poorly implemented in J&K, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is no exception as there are around 562 primary schools and 154 upper primary schools having zero enrolment.

There are around 13 per cent (1,733) primary schools with single teacher. There is a total vacancyof 7,208 (5,014 under state and 2,194 under SSA) teachers in the state.

This was revealed in the Planning Approval Board meeting of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). The meeting was held to review the progress of J&K under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Sources claimed that the poor state of affairs had resulted in decrease in enrolment at government and government-aided schools and increase in enrolment at private-unaided schools.

“In the last Planning Approval Board meeting, the state was committed to completing all the pending construction works of all the KGBVs by March 2017,” sources claimed.

The sources added that the Aadhaar coverage of children was also nil.

Meanwhile, not even a single child was mainstreamed under the commitment of mainstreaming 32,755 out-of-school children in the age appropriate classes in 2016-17. The state government had committed to reduce the dropout rate to 5.5 at primary and 4.5 at upper primary level, but no progress has been shared by the government with the Central ministry in this regard.

Central programme for improving school education

• It is the Central government’s flagship programme for achievement of universalisation of elementary education in a time-bound manner, as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to the children of 6-14 years age group. 
• It seeks to open new schools in those areas which do not have schooling facilities and strengthen the existing school infrastructure through a provision of additional classrooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants

"The state is yet to operationalise two Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs). These are Kharoo in Leh district and in Kishtwar district. Around 2,453 (37%) seats are still lying vacant in operational KGBVs. The construction of 30 KGBV buildings is still to begin while that of 53 buildings is under progress. Meanwhile, 33 posts of warden, 44 of accountant, 27 of watchman, 19 of peon, 15 of head cook and 69 of assistant cook are also lying vacant." —  sources